


Is This Really It?

by aneyeforaneye



Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, M/M, More tags to be added, Multi, Not Beta Read, Porn With Plot, Smut, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Very Brief Thoughts of Possible Rape, but it definitely will be, explicit rating has not been earned yet, hopefully plot, i don’t know, probably gardening somewhere, where the fuck is papa I
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:34:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25695130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aneyeforaneye/pseuds/aneyeforaneye
Summary: Fleeing from her past and searching for a new future, Reader stumbles backstage during a Ghost Concert on a rainy night.There will be smut. This is a fic with the clergy and their church.
Relationships: Cardinal Copia/Original Female Character(s), Cardinal Copia/Papa Emeritus III, Cardinal Copia/Reader, Papa Emeritus II/Original Female Character(s), Papa Emeritus II/Reader, Papa Emeritus III/Original Female Character(s), Papa Emeritus III/Reader
Comments: 17
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: This chapter contains brief mentions of attempted rape/non con. Be careful.
> 
> So, uh...here we are?
> 
> This here is baby’s first fic. I hate that term, but I’m using it anyways. Criticism is welcome and appreciated! (But please be constructive with it.)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy.

It was raining. Sheets of water poured down onto the street, flicking off lampposts, and crashing down onto rooftops and umbrellas. It was a cold, windy night, and no surface seemed untouched by the freezing downpour. The night was growing later and later, and you still had nothing to show for it.

Your sneakers were drenched as you walked, squeaking and threatening to slip on the pavement. You tightened the arms across your chest and drew your jacket closer.

What had led you to this moment? You thought as you trudged along. You were really, really tired. Your jacket did nothing to the cold and wet seeping into your skin. It had been so long since you had rested, and you could tell you were losing focus.

For a heartbeat, you wished you were back...there. With a start, you shoved those thoughts to the furthest reaches of your mind. Nothing was worth going back for. Nothing.

There were only a few people out with you, as most had gone inside to hide from the weather, but a few still lingered, some cursing and others solemnly walking as you were. You glanced up at a flickering neon sign reading “VACANCY” but you had run out of money.

In your frantic attempts to put distance between yourself and your hometown, all you had brought were the clothes on your back, your phone, and 100 dollars in cash. You clutched your phone with freezing fingers to your chest. It had died a while back, a few hours after you realized they had found a way to cancel your cellular data.

As the night grew colder and later, and as you grew more and more tired, the passerby all but disappeared, leaving one or two stragglers to waddle in misery. 

While it was hard to tell in the dark, you thought you were headed in the right direction. You had made designs to reach your great aunt, who lived a few towns away from here.

Well, I’m certainly closer than before.

You were out of money, having underestimated the cost of bus fare getting here. You weren’t sure how exactly you planned on travelling all the way to her house, but for now you kept walking. You were tired and it was hard to think straight.

As you carried on, you realised that a man had been walking behind you for quite a while. Warning bells went off in your head. What were the odds that he was simply walking in the same direction as you? You shrugged the thoughts off but quickened your pace nonetheless.

You glanced up at the sky as you speedwalked. The rain showed no signs of letting up. The lampposts that lined the streets flared in your blurred vision, and your breathing sped up. The man was getting closer.

“Hey,” he called, and you walked a little faster.

“You have the time?”

You paused for a moment, turned around, and shook your head.

“No...I’m really sorry. Phone’s dead”

He shrugged, not looking angry or upset. Maybe you were just being paranoid. He was probably perfectly normal. You turned on your heel and began to walk again.

“Hey, hey wait. Can I talk to you for a second? Here, come back. Can we talk?”

You kept walking, looking behind you. He was speeding up, getting much closer than you would have liked. In a moment of panic, you veered into an alley that turned out to be a dead end. His hand grabbed your wrist and you slipped your hand out easily, mentally thanking the rain. 

“You fucking bitch!”

He kneed your stomach clumsily, and the force was enough to knock the wind out of you. You doubled over and he took the opportunity to grab you by the collar and hoist you up.

“Now listen. This will be a lot easier for both of us if you just play along.”

You struggled violently against him and his grip loosened on your collar. 

“Fucking stop!” He yelled, and you slapped his face as hard as you could. 

He leaned in angrily but your mind was working fast, and you very quickly opened a door to the side of you both. You tripped inside and shut the door behind you.

You held your breath and stared at the door, willing him not to come in. It was silent, and you let out a laboured breath.

You slumped down. At this point, you didn’t care what happened next. You were exhausted. You closed your eyes and then noticed a faint rumbling sound. It sounded like music.

You stood up wearily and took in your surroundings. You were in a narrow hallway with a cement floor. Black cables and control boxes lined the walls. As you wandered further out, you entered a larger hallway with sound equipment and more cables. 

Where am I? It looked like a recording studio, with all the equipment around you. You winced a little. You were trespassing. It seemed like this place was still in use, despite the late hour; and you hoped you’d be able to explain to whoever owned the place what had happened. A sudden hand on your shoulder made you jump.

“How did you get back here?”

It was a squat man with an earpiece in all black. He looked important.

“Well, I-” you stammered, but he cut you off.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but you’re not allowed backstage. The fans stay in the seating area.”

He pulled you along by your arm and you let out a few stuttered protests, trying to tug your arm free.

“No, please, you don’t understand. I got here by accident, there was a man-”

“My apologies, ma’am. You can re-enter through the front if you have a ticket.”

“No, wait…”

“Wait a minute, G! What’s going on?” A voice called out at the man. You both turned to look at who had spoken. Your eyes widened. 

What the hell?

The man walking towards you two was tall and muscular. He wore all black, but was dressed much more finely than the man holding your arm. The man had black slacks and suspenders, with shoes that looked expensive. His suit was embroidered in silver and he wore a cross on his lapel. The oddest part of all, and what had made you gape in the first place, was a silver mask that covered the entirety of his face, a square cut out from the bottom that allowed him to breathe.

You tried your best not to stare blatantly at his strange clothing choices, but you found yourself drawn back to the mask every time. Were those horns?

Despite having his facial features obscured, his eyes glittered through the mask, crinkling up at the sides. He seemed overall good-natured,

“Uh...hello!” He said, turning to face G. “Why exactly is she back here?”

G turned to face him, exasperated and red in the face.

“She was just being escorted out. I’m not sure how she got back here in the first place.”

The taller man studied you for a moment and you shivered from cold and adrenaline.

“I-I really am sorry, sirs...I was walking…” you paused. “I was walking home when a man started chasing me.”

You turned to them both, eyes pleading.

“I really didn’t mean to come back here, I’m terribly sorry. I came in through a door on the side of the building.”

You stood miserably, dripping on the floor as they stared at you.

“She can stay.”

G turned to face him in disbelief.

“Are you joking? You’re on directly after this song! Who’s going to watch her?”

“Oh, it’ll only be for a little while.” He gave you a conspiratorial wink. “She can sit in the Green Room with the girls for a while. I doubt she’ll need chaperoning for the whole show.”

“Jesus Christ, Aether! We can’t just let any random-“

The man, Aether, silenced G with a hand.

“It’ll be fine. Look at her, for His sake! She’s going to catch hypothermia. Just take her there and give her a blanket. We can deal with this after the show.”

He turned on his heel, as G sputtered angrily at him. Once he was out of sight G glared at you angrily.

“Alright. Because it seems that some people don’t realize I have work to do, you’ll have to find the Green Room yourself. It’s down the hall on the left. There should be a sign. You can read, right?” He asked dryly.

“I-yes. I really am sorry for all this-“

“Save it.” G drawled, and he began walking away, saying a few things into his earpiece. When he looked back and saw you standing there, he waved you towards the hallway, and then he was gone.

You stood for a few moments, dazed, and then turned your eyes to the hallway. The low rumble of noise continued.

For a while, you wandered down the hall, glancing at the signs on each door. Most of them were technical, reading “CNTRL” and “LIGHTING”, while others bore names or...stage names, it seemed? You’d never met anyone named Dewdrop before.

Eventually you reached the door marked with “GREEN ROOM” and you hesitantly pushed it open. Inside was a medium sized room, with two couches and a settee. To one side lay a drinks bar and mini kitchen, where two women sat talking. Their heads turned to you.

“Oh hello. Is it time to go on already?” One asked politely. She wore the same clothes as Aether from before, complete with a more feminine silver mask. It was a little unsettling being unable to read their expressions.

You stared for a while, and then shook your head numbly.

“I...I’m not s-sure, I’m sorry. I don’t-I’m not a-“

You shivered and let out a shaky breath, silently panicking. You were disconcerted and scared in this new place, and you were still shopping wet.

“Oh dear, are you alright?” She asked, hurrying over and laying a hand on your arm.

“I-I’m sorry. Aether said to come wait here.”

“Oh,” She trailed off, contemplatively, looking back at the other woman before facing you again.

“Listen...everything’s going to be alright, ok? Just come sit over here.” 

She led you over to a couch and sat you down. The other woman brought you a blanket.

“We have to go on stage soon,” the first one said apologetically. “You’ll be perfectly fine here for a little, right?”

You nodded and stared in question.

“Thank you...where exactly am I?”

“This is an amphitheater...we were supposed to hold the show outside, but then it started raining so we moved into this building. You were here to watch the show, right?”

You shook your head and drew the blanket closer around you.

“No...I don’t understand what’s going on. Is this a play?”

The two women looked at each other and then back at you.

“Not really,” the other one started, before being interrupted by an opening door. A different man with an earpiece walked in.

“You’re on, girls,” he said, before his eyes landed on you. “Wait, who’s…?”

He shook his head.

“Doesn’t matter. Come on, you’ve got one minute.”

The first woman stood from where she was crouched in front of you and the second patted your hand. Then all three left and you were alone in the empty room, shivering and clutching the blanket like it was the most precious thing in the world.


	2. The Second Chapter :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Reader wakes up. Introductions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are again!
> 
> You guys in the comments are really nice! Your support made my day. I appreciate it! :D
> 
> Constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged.

You were dimly aware of the light filtering through your eyelids and the low voices that spoke softly. You shifted slightly and noted how wet your clothes were. Where were you again?

Oh, that’s right.  
Your eyes slid open wearily and slowly. Your vision was still blurry, but you could make out the room you had fallen asleep in. The room backstage. You rubbed at your eyes once. They hurt.

Sitting up, abruptly, the blanket fell to the ground, and the voices stopped.You stared at them, letting your eyes adjust painstakingly to the bright lights, before identifying one as Aether. Yet another masked man stood behind him, slightly shorter than the tall one beside him.

“Hi,” you said stupidly, your voice low and clumsy. “‘M sorry. Fell asleep.”

You blinked rapidly, rubbing your eyes again to get the sleep out. Aether and the other man stood near the bar.

“No, it’s,” he cleared his throat. “It’s fine. The set just ended, so more people will probably come in here soon.”

He walked over to you, and then sat on a couch next to you.

“I was just explaining,” he gestured over to the other, who gave a polite wave. “You...you aren’t in any trouble, are you? We were all wondering…”

He gave another vague gesture and you noticed another masked man seated on one of the barstools. You stared at Aether numbly, thinking rapidly.

What do I tell him? I can’t-

No, I really shouldn’t.

You hummed a little in distress and clutched the blanket impulsively.

“Not...not exactly,” you said quietly. “I ran away from home.”

“Holy hell. What were you doing out there in those conditions? Do you have any money? Do you even know where you’re going?”

You stared at the blanket for a long while, fiddling with the blanket and stuttering out half-formed replies. He held up a hand and tipped his head comfortingly.

“Sorry, sorry. You don’t have to tell. We were just worried.”

You could see his mind working in his eyes, but if he had any other questions, he kept silent. For this you were very grateful.

“I’ll be out of your hair soon. Last night I wasn’t really thinking straight.”

You looked at the men behind Aether for a moment.

“I really am sorry. I never meant to-”

The door swung open and banged against the wall. A short, slim man was adjusting his mask angrily (you weren’t sure how he managed that) as he walked in. He threw something at Aether on the couch and swung on to the bar counter. You stared at Aether. He saw the concern in your eyes and looked at you reassuringly, holding up a guitar pick. You turned your eyes to the new masked man in the room. He was tearing into a bag of chips and hardly spared you a glance.

“We already filled him in,” said the nice woman from earlier.

“Yes,” said Aether, watching the new man warily. “Well, that there is-wait, did we ever get your name?”

You smiled at him and said your name.

One of the women from earlier spoke up.

“Nice to meet you! Anyways, that there’s Dewdrop. He can be a little bitch sometimes.”

“Fuck off,” Dewdrop said, flipping her the bird but remaining entirely focused on his chips. His eyes flicked to you for a moment as you watched him and he stuck his tongue out lewdly. You blushed, looking down at the blanket.

“The one by the bar is Rain,” Aether pointed. Rain gave an amicable salute.

“The quiet one is Mountain. You already met Dewdrop.”

Dewdrop sneered at Aether.

“I can introduce myself, thanks.”

“I’m Cirrus,” said the first woman. “We met before as well.”

“I’m Cumulus.”

You nodded at each name.

How in hell am I going to remember all these? They all have the same face!

“I think that’s all,” Aether continued. “I’m Aether, of course.”

“Oh!” said the second woman, who’s name you had just forgotten. “And the Cardinal should be here any second.”

“The Cardinal? Like...like in a church?” you tried to keep your voice level.

“Well, yes, sort of.”

You had opened your mouth to ask something else but you were interrupted by the door opening again. This man wore no mask (which you were quite thankful for) and was about the same size as Rain. You were surprised to see that face paint surrounded both of his eyes, vaguely reminding you of a panda. He had a neatly trimmed thin moustache and black coated his upper lip. His eyes fell on you immediately, and you were oddly reminded of a deer staring into headlights. He seemed rather twitchy, his gaze flicking away from yours and over to Aether’s.

“So...this is the girl?” he stood there awkwardly, rubbing his gloves together. He wore a red cassock and hat. 

“Yup. She just woke up.”

The man, Cardinal, looked back at you and the conversation lapsed into silence. You sat there, quite uncomfortable.

“It’s, uh...It’s nice to meet you.” you stammered out. He stared at you a while longer, and then snapped upwards, rubbing his hands together again.

“Eheh, yes! It is not often we get, eh...visitors backstage. I thought we were known for our, eh, hospitality, but it seems no one here has the decency of bringing you new clothes.”

He peered over at Dewdrop pointedly, who hopped down, cursing. He left the Green Room glaring at you, and you thought you caught a glimpse of...was that a tail? You shook your head. You were still tired.

The Cardinal, looking satisfied, turned away.

“Heh, right. I, eh. I should probably get to packing up. I trust that Aether can, eh, figure things out from here.”

He turned to face the door and you were a little wounded. He seemed eager to put as much distance between you two as possible. 

“Wait,” you called faintly, before you could stop yourself. He turned rapidly.

“Eh, yes?” he asked, anxiously. 

“Is there any name I can call you by? Or just Cardinal?”

He stared at you for a long time.

“Copia,” he said quietly, and then left the room.

The next few hours passed uneventfully. Dewdrop returned with clothes, throwing them unceremoniously at you. You lifted them up.

“Are these...robes?”

They seemed to be. The fabric was delicately embroidered with an inner lining of silky green colour. They seemed impractical and much too expensive to be wasted on you.

“Are you sure I should wear these?” you stared at Dewdrop reluctantly.

He shrugged, his eyes gleaming. You thought he was probably smiling under the mask.

They’re the only extra clothes I could find!” he insisted, but you saw Aether glance worriedly at the clothes you were holding.

As time went on, you did your best to cement their names in your mind. Mountain was quiet but sided with Aether on most disputes. Rain was diplomatic and a little shy. Cirrus and Cumulus were hard to tell apart, but you were soon able to distinguish them. Dewdrop was hard to miss, as he kept flicking things at Aether and making suggestive movements every time he caught you staring.

The ghouls (as they called themselves) came and went, “packing things up”. Rain explained that they were in a band with a rather large following and that they had just ended their tour.

“So, do you know where you’re going? Do you need us to hail you a cab?” Cumulus asked.

“Well, not really, but I’m sure I can manage on my own.”

Cumulus and Aether shared a long look, and then Aether turned to you.

“Listen...as well as playing in his band, we also belong to a sort of….”

“Group.” Cirrus finished.

“Yes,” he said. “If you wanted, we’re always looking for new members.”

You stared at them, mind whirring.

A “group”? You had just met these strange, eccentric people, and now they were asking you to join their cult. 

No. Going with them was not an option. You had come here to put distance between you and your past, not to be killed in a ritual.

“Group? This is ridiculous talk.” Came the Cardinal’s voice from behind you. You jumped. You hadn’t heard him come in. He nodded apologetically.

“My dear, we belong to a church that we perform for.” 

“To raise funds and awareness,” Aether added.

“A c-church?” You stuttered. No, this place was not for you. Not at all.

“I’m sorry, but-“

Cardinal saw the look in your eyes and stopped you.

“This church isn’t...exactly like churches you’ve been to. We don’t discriminate or impose rules. In fact,” he smiled. “You could say that individuality is celebrated.”

You stared, still not convinced.

“You’re still free to decline, if you wish. But I promise,” he caught your gaze suddenly, and you realized with surprise that one of his pupils was stark white.

“You won’t regret it.”

—————

Papa Emeritus the Second was having a shit morning. 

When he decided to attend the Cardinal’s tour across the west, he had planned to live up the night life on the biggest strips in America.

Last night had passed in a blur at a club whose name he couldn’t remember. The music was awful but the drinks made it hard to care, and he ended up in the back of a cab with a busty young woman. Thinking back, he thought her name was Sarah, Driving over to his hotel was fine, but she talked the whole way.

The sex was some of the worst in his life. However experienced this woman was, she was not appealing to him in any way. The way she had moaned overeggageratedly had rubbed him the wrong way. Her voice was high pitched and nasally.

When he finally finished, she threw back her head and yelled out loudly for show, then took her purse and left, leaving him feeling a little unsatisfied.

That morning he woke with a raging hangover. There were children outside his hotel door running and screaming, oblivious to the many “Do Not Disturb” signs. The pounding in his skull didn’t cease after he had taken a shower, nor did they stop when he brewed up tea to help.

He hailed a cab after packing his suitcase. Their flight left in an hour and he was more than happy to head back to the Church.

Today he wore a regular suit. While not as extravagant as he normally would have liked, he didn’t care to draw attention to himself. The driver asked him where he was going, and then took his money with a hungry smile.

At the airport, he met the Cardinal waiting by the boarding entrance. The Cardinal was an anxious little man, and Secondo would oftentimes act a little more threatening around him. Watching Copia jump was entertaining.

“Ah, here you are, Secondo,” he said, peering up from under his hat.

Papa only glared down at him.

“How much longer till we leave?”

“Eh, yes...that would be in about 10 minutes...you cut it close, I would say! Eheh…”

There were a few seconds of awkward pause.

“The rest of the band is just, uh, already in there,” he said, his gloves creaking.

Right. Papa began walking in through the access tube and the Cardinal skittered after him.

“Oh, there is one thing, you see-“

“I really am not in the mood for chatter today, Cardinal,” he growled, and he saw Copia shrink a bit.

“Eh, yes. Right.”

The clergy had used some resources to supply a private boarding for them all, and for that Secondo was grateful. With luck, he’d be able to take a nap on the way up. When he stepped across the threshold to the plane, a very pretty stewardess attended to him, and the ghouls watched as he boarded.

Secondo wasn’t entirely convinced by some of the newest members. They seemed a bit shifty and a little less loyal. The clergy had gone lax, he decided. The new members weren’t as faithful as they used to be. 

He continued along the row, until something stopped him dead in his tracks. Sitting next to a ghoulette was a woman, watching him walk past with an expression of confusion in her eyes. She was beautiful, without a doubt, but what had stopped him was the realization that she was wearing his clothes. His divine, papal robes, meant for rituals. All the idle talk in the plane stopped and the seated ghouls stared at you both. Then a snort rang out behind him.

He whirled around to face the source, and saw one of the ghouls, Dew, snickering at him. Papa gave him a bone chilling glare, but it only made him laugh harder, flicking his tail in challenge. Yes, the clergy had gone downhill.

Papa turned once more to the woman, whose cheeks were now tinted pink in confusion and embarrassment. She opened her mouth to say something, but he let out a huff of air and walked to his first class compartment, sliding the curtain shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More will happen in the next chapter, I promise.
> 
> I’m employing poetic license. If you’re ever in a situation like this, please don’t go to an unknown location with strangers. Heh.


	3. The Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That’s...an ominous title.
> 
> The Reader arrives at the church.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are again! I’m so glad people are reading! This is the first time I’ve ever tried...well, writing at all.
> 
> Side note: I _finally_ fucking found out how to italicize on Ao3, so get ready for some _sexy_ italicization.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! As always, I appreciate critique and advice. Hope you enjoy!

“You alright?”

You snapped your gaze away from the tall, imposing building. Rain was looking at you with concern in his eyes. You swallowed.

“Uh, yeah.”

You stared back up, taking deep breaths and trying to think of other things.

The flight had been a few hours long, but you didn’t really mind. The ghoulettes were pleasant company. Once you landed, however, your nerves caught up with you.

_What am I doing? I just met these people. They could be human traffickers, or murders._

Still, distance was distance. 

_I’d rather die out here than back there._

The Cardinal had a nice silver car parked at the airport parking lot where you all met after the ghouls collected their luggage. (You watched them, wishing you’d had more time to pack before running away).

“Right,” the Cardinal had said, looking anywhere but at you. “The car can hold 5...eh, ghouls?”

“I can call an Uber,” said Aether. You smiled at him gratefully. 

You all eventually decided that Mountain, the Ghoulettes, and Dewdrop would ride with Copia...Dewdrop with some reluctance.

“I don’t wanna be squashed in there with you. Let me ride with those two instead.”

“Oh, shut up,” Cumulus had said, and that was that.

“Copia?” you asked quietly, willing him not to ignore you. You had a feeling he didn’t like you at all.

“Eh?” he looked a little disgruntled.

“Who was the other man back on the plane? Is he in the band? Where will he sit?”

“Oh,” he said, idly adjusting his robes. “Don’t worry about Secondo. I believe he has his own car.”

You hummed a little in affirmation, but he kept staring at you.

“I see...you are already entranced by him, eh? You talked to him on the flight over?”

You shook your head.

“Oh, no. He hardly seemed interested in me at all.”

Copia nodded and turned to the luggage, rubbing his gloves together with a look in his eye...satisfaction? Either way, he continued avoiding you pointedly.

After loading everything up and calling an Uber, you and the group had driven over to where you were now. You stood, eyes fixed, on the massive cathedral in front of you. It looked just like every Christian church you had seen.

A pang of fear went through you, and you shivered. There were parts of you that you wanted,to listen to, telling you to run, but you thought back on what the Cardinal had said. He looked so convicted when he had told you everything would be fine. 

You took a deep breath. Despite having just met, your instinct told you you could trust them.

“Need any help?” you called over to Rain, despite the fact you probably couldn’t help much. The much too long robes covering your body were hard enough to walk in already. Rain shook his head.

At that moment, another black car pulled in. The same man from earlier stepped out. He was completely bald, but he didn’t look old. His features were set strongly in his face, giving him a sort of regal look. You faintly recognized that he, like Copia, had one white iris. He was aged, of course, but he was physically fit. He was wearing the same suit from earlier.

On the plane, he had brushed past you without a word, ignoring you with no apparent reason. You tried not to let that upset you, but it did. A little.

Now he was walking towards you all. He had a powerful, confident stride. You thought he was headed straight for you, but he moved past and headed instead for the door where Copia was standing. Copia seemed rather intimidated by the man…Secondo? Was that what the Cardinal had called him? You decided promptly that Secondo had a stick up his ass.

He leaned down and said something to him, causing them both to look your way. Secondo said something again, and Copia’s face turned bright red. They both turned to the door and walked in. You wondered briefly what they were saying, but you were knocked out of your reverie by Cirrus waving you over.

“Are you excited?” she asked, smiling. If you had to guess, she was probably a lot more excited to have you than you were to be here, but you nodded anyways.

“Of course. A little nervous, though.”

“Don’t be. I know you’ll love it here!”

The two of you began walking towards the church. 

“Hey,” you leaned over, whispering to her. “Dewdrop...he doesn’t actually have a tail, right?”

She smiled at you through the mask.

“Oh,” her eyes twinkled. “We’ll have to explain that later.”

You considered her cryptic answer while you both made it to the doors. You pushed them open for her, as she was holding her bags. She nodded a thank you, but you hardly noticed.

The entryway was massive. It was easily bigger than the entry of the church back home. Large tapestries covered the walls, and light filtered through the stained glass windows. Your mouth parted in an “oh”, and the Cardinal peered over at you, looking pleased.

“It’s beautiful, eh?” he waved a hand at the paintings and you realized that most of them depicted the devil. Some had imagery that would have shocked your father.

“It’s...indescribable!” you gushed. Your nerves all but disappeared as you marveled at the massive room. The Cardinal smiled.

“Yes. Even if you are not of our church, you must admire the architecture!”

You nodded, turning back to Cirrus.

“Do you need any help?” you called. She shook her head no. Indeed it seemed she didn’t. They were all remarkably fit.

You watched Dew scamper off, dragging his bag behind him. Rain ran over to the Cardinal-wait, that wasn’t right. You stared, until realizing that the ghoul in front of Copia wasn’t Rain.

“How was the flight?” he asked, tail flicking.

You were right. That was a tail.

Copia continued with the new ghoul, his idle chatter echoing through the hall. You glanced around. The other man, Secondo, was nowhere to be seen. Cumulus and Aether were chatting happily. They all seemed so comfortable around each other, you thought, and you felt a twinge of loneliness. You had always wanted something like this.

“Terzo holding down the fort alright?” Aether called to the ghoul.

“Oh, well enough,” the ghoul said, and then he pouted. “He’s been too busy for visitors, though.”

Aether laughed, a hearty rumble that filled the hall.

“I’m sure he won’t die without his...hobbies.”

Cirrus shook her head at him, laughing.

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that, Aether. I don’t think he’s ever gone this long without bedding someone.”

“It’s a miracle he hasn’t snapped yet,” Mountain added from behind.

You were a little confused, wondering who Terzo was to yourself, before Cirrus led you over to a large branching path to the right of the entryway. 

“Let’s go down here before dinner,” she said. “This is where the dorms are.”

You followed her down a long, stretching hallway, before taking another right up a flight of stairs. Then another hallway, then more stairs. On the third floor, you both stopped.

“This floor is where the band and high ranking members sleep,” she said. “But since you’re a special case, you can have one of these rooms. We’ve got plenty extra.”

“Oh, thank you!” you grinned widely at her. “You all have been so kind.”

“Oh it’s nothing,” she said, waving her hand. 

She led you to a room, which was large and spacious, much nicer than any you’d ever had. You marveled at it for a while, praising the design, before a worrying thought hit you.

“Oh. Cirrus, I don’t have any clothes with me.” you said apologetically, rubbing the back of your neck. She blinked.

“Oh yeah! That slipped my mind. Sorry about that.”

You shrunk back on yourself. You felt bad taking so much from these people.

“I think,” she said, tapping her lip absentmindedly, “We can probably get spare from some of the Sisters downstairs. Those robes definitely won’t do.”

You chuckled, looking down at them.

“Borrowed clothes will have to do for a while. I can send some ghouls to buy some more tomorrow!”

“Thank you so much,” you said, hugging her tightly. “You’ve done so much for me. Can I do anything to pay you back? I don’t have any money…”

She smiled at you reassuringly.

“Stay for a while. If you like it, it’d be great to have you join the church officially!”

You gave a weak smile. As much as you wanted to give something back, you were terrified of signing into a new church this soon. Still, you gave her a thumbs-up, and she left you to adjust to your new room.

You explored for a while. You had your own bathroom, a spacious closet, and a big, comfortable bed. You plopped down, staring at the ceiling.

_Oh, how your life had changed so quickly._

You thought over the events of the day, and before you could help it, your tired body drifted back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit shorter chapter here!
> 
> So, I might have been lying when I said this chapter was going to be more exciting, heh. Sorry about that. But we do get to meet Terzo next chapter!


	4. Dinner.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader eats dinner and Secondo gets a little angry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally? A new chapter?
> 
> Welcome once again, friends! Chapter 4 is upon us. Sorry for the wait.
> 
> Very slight smut in this chapter. Don't get excited! It's not that intense. However, I'd like to humbly ask that any minors reading stop now.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Your eyes slid open lazily.

_KNOCK. KNOCK._

You turned your face to the door. Was that what had woken you up? You groaned and turned your face away.

“Hey!” you heard Dewdrop’s voice call.

Your brow scrunched a little and you rubbed your eyes. You really didn’t want to get up. The bed was really fucking comfortable.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe this. Can I just come in?”

You squinted at the door and grumbled out a tired “yes”. The door opened with so much force you were afraid it would dent the wall.

“Hi,” Dewdrop said, tossing something at your head. You ducked, before realizing:

_Oh, clothes._

“What’s wrong?” you slurred, blinking to try to wake yourself up. Dew stared at you.

“What? Oh, nothing’s wrong. It’s dinner time.” 

He swung himself onto your bed and crawled over, tail curling.

“I brought extra clothes, but you don’t have to wear them around me.” he gave a wink and you pushed him away jokingly.

“Get out of here so I can change, fiend.”

He snickered and hopped down.

“I’ll wait outside.”

You watched the door close behind him and shook your head, chuckling to yourself. You weren’t concerned about him. It seemed he acted like that all the time.

The clothes he had brought up (from Cirrus, you presumed) were simple. Black pants and a plain shirt. You put them on quickly and promptly realized that you were starving. Your stomach rumbled.

Dew was waiting outside and his eyes lit up when he saw you.

“Great, lets go. I missed out on eating for this.”

You both hurried along the corridors. You were entranced coming through a second time. The Cardinal wasn’t lying about the architecture. The building was extensive and detailed down to the smallest points. You studied the portraits more thoroughly your second time around, and you suddenly remembered.

“Dew...that tail’s a prop, right?”

He swung around to look at you.

“Holy shit, I forgot we hadn’t told you…” he trailed off, looking stunned. Then he grinned at you through his mask.

“It’s 100% real. I was summoned out of hell to serve this church.” he said blatantly.

You stared at him.

“You’re kidding, right?” you asked sarcastically, your brow raised. His tail twitched and he glared at you.

“No, of course not!” he said defensively.

“You really expect me to believe that? No offense, Dew, but I’m not a child.” 

You peered at his tail.

“Is it a prosthetic? How can you move it so well? Cut the bullshit this time, I’m actually curious.”

He glared harder at you.

“I’m not fucking kidding! All of us ghouls have them. We’re the children of Satan.”

You stared him down. He seemed dead serious. You huffed out a breath of disbelief.

His tail flicked back and forth angrily.

“You really don’t believe me? What about my teeth?” he tilted his head back, revealing slightly sharper than normal canines. “It’s why we wear the masks. We’re demons.”

You were getting a little worried. He seemed completely convinced.

“Oh...alright.” you said.

_Maybe I was right to doubt the sanity of these people._

As you walked through the halls, you would occasionally pass women in traditional nun attire, as well as men with church-going clothes. However, sometimes others would pass with the same attire that the ghouls had. You peered at them. For a regular Catholic Church, they certainly had some odd members.

Dew rushed down the flights of stairs with no abandon, leaving you struggling to keep up, breathing heavily.

“Finally,” you groaned once you had reached the large doors Dew said led into the dining room. He swung them open and dashed through. You tried to follow, barely dodging the heavy doors as they swung backwards.

What a gentleman, you thought dryly, but your mind was soon drawn elsewhere.

Piles on piles of food covered the plates, which looked shiny and expensive. Your eyes were drawn to many things at once.The hall was lit by candles and a massive chandelier. It was big enough to seat hundreds, and indeed, hundreds were sitting at numerous tables, helping themselves. You were scarcely noticed as you walked in.

Along the far wall was an elevated platform where you could make out Copia’s figure, as well as the imposing man from earlier, Secondo. On his right you could see an older looking man with faded paint, who appeared to be arguing with the woman next to him. In the centre sat another man with skull paint. All except the Cardinal and the woman wore robes akin to the ones you had been wearing before. 

You drew your eyes back to the man in the middle, who, to your surprise, appeared to be staring straight at you. For a few moments you were stunned into immobility, but you snapped out of it quickly and averted your eyes, wincing to yourself.

Someone called your name. You looked around quickly at the people in the hall, before spotting a ghoul waving you over.

“She wakes!” Aether called as you jogged over. He slid over to make room for you. 

“Oh, hush,” you pouted. “My sleeping habits are none of your concern.”

You sat silently for a moment. 

“How long was I asleep for?”

“Oh, not long. Probably 10 minutes.”

You stared longingly at the food. Aether caught your expression and laughed.

“Dish up,” he said, pushing you a plate.

“Well, if you insist.”

You began loading your plate up hungrily. The chicken looked delicious. You also noticed a bottle of wine, but you decided to hold off.

“Hey Aether, who’s everyone up there at the front?” you questioned, taking a bite of your food and letting out a noise of contentment.

“Oh,” Aether said, turning to face the front.

“The one on the far left, that’s the Cardinal. He teaches...Latin, I think? Odds are you’ll have some lessons if that’s what you want. He teaches the Siblings and the ghouls.”

“Next to him is Papa Nihil, he-well, let me just start over. So the girl next to him is Sister Imperator, and she...wait-”

“You’re bad at this,” Cumulus stated simply, taking a sip of her wine. Aether gave her an exasperated, lost look, and seemed relieved when Mountain stepped in.

“Next to the Cardinal is Papa Nihil, the father of the three Emeritus brothers…” he pointed, and you followed his finger.

“3? Copia’s their brother?” you asked in surprise.

“Oh, no,” Mountain said. “The first brother is currently residing at one of our other churches.”

You nodded, taking another bite. Holy hell, that was good.

“Papa Emeritus the Second is on the far right,” he pointed at Secondo.

“Oh,” you said softly, trailing off into thought.

Secondo, you thought. 

“He led the church for years, and from what I hear, he was great at it.”

You watched him poke at his food.

“You weren’t a member then?” you asked.

“None of us were,” Aether said, with a mouth full of food. He gestured with his fork. “We...we joined a few years ago.”

Mountain nodded. 

“The one in the middle is Papa Emeritus the Third.”

You glanced up at him. He was now engaged in what seemed like a pleasant conversation with the Cardinal from across the table, smiling widely.

“Terzo,” Aether added, gesturing with his fork.

“Right. He’s the current Papa. He used to run the band, but now that’s Copia’s job.”

Cumulus looked up from her food. You had noticed her listening in, but she hadn’t said much.

“The woman’s Sister Imperator. I’d stay away if I were you.”

“What? Why?”

“Oh, she’s just trying to scare you.” Aether said. “Imperator’s the head of all the members. She’s kind of like a second-in-command.”

“Don’t worry.” Mountain interjected. “She’s not scary, just stern.”

You saw Cumulus shrug, clearly disagreeing. You turned back to your food.

“Is anyone else here important? Do you have any other ex-popes hiding around here?”

Cumulus chuckled.

“I think they’re all accounted for,” she said. “Cirrus brought you clothes?”

You nodded with a mouth full of food. You studied the large room again. Ghouls and nuns sat, talking idly. 

What an odd place, you thought, but you were distracted by the Cardinal, who you noticed was watching you. You stared back for a few seconds, then gave a little smile and waved. He smiled back.

\----------

Secondo’s mood had soured by the end of the evening. He swirled his wine silently and listened to the idle chatter of his little brother. He scowled into his food. When would things get better for him? First the awful morning and then the simpering girl the band had picked up off the streets. Now he was doomed to sit through a long evening of Terzo’s flamboyant charm. 

“Come now, brother, you are looking worse than Papa Nihil,” Terzo nudged. “Do try to seem a little happier, _si_ ,” 

“ _Sta ‘zitto_.” Secondo grumbled back. “It was a long flight.”

He took a long drink of his wine, then contemplated for a moment. It was good wine.

“You saw the girl they brought home?” Terzo inquired, a familiar gleam in his eye.

“She is hard to miss,” Secondo stated simply. Terzo nodded. They stayed silent for a few seconds, Secondo sipping his wine and Terzo watching the new one.

“What’s her name?”

Secondo stared at his brother for a few long seconds.

“How should I know?” he said crossly. “Since when did you care? You’re acting like a lovestruck teen.”

Terzo snapped up, fixing his brother with a glare. Secondo laughed.

“I had figured you would know,” Terzo said. “This is odd for you, yes? Are you angry that she hasn’t got on her knees for you yet?”

Secondo’s glass hit the table with a little force than normal.

“Of course not. Why is she of any interest to me?” he said. “If I wanted to, she would have been in my bed by now.”

Terzo shrugged, a small smile on his face.

“ _Spiacente_ , Secondo. I don’t think she is interested.” 

“We just met,” Secondo growled.

Terzo shrugged again, sipping his wine.

“When had this ever stopped you, hm?”

Secondo waved his hand in an angry dismissal. He turned his eyes to the hall. Any number of the Sisters here would gladly let him bed them, he thought. He singled out a Sister in the front.

A few hours later he was buried between the Sister’s legs. She stuttered out half formed thoughts and the headboard smacked against the wall as she writhed under him. He gripped her small thighs a little tighter, but all he could think of was Terzo’s smug face.

What a little shit. He could do whatever he wanted. Even as the girl beneath him reached her peak, the woman in the hall kept surfacing in his mind. Her eyes on the plane burned into him, and he growled, biting the woman’s thigh, hard. She screamed.

No, he wasn’t interested. If he was, he would get what he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While writing this, I, uh...accidentally deleted it all and had to start over T-T
> 
> Criticism is dearly appreciated!


	5. Hey you, you're finally awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After yet another rest, the reader has breakfast and a tour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! It's that time of the year again...school time. Updates might come slower depending on how much I have on my plate. 
> 
> Once again, you lot flatter me in the comments :,0 I sincerely appreciate it. I've got a few questions for you as well, so please be sure to read the notes at the end.
> 
> As always, criticism is dearly appreciated. I hope you enjoy!

Mornings at the church seemed quiet and peaceful.

Your room didn’t have a clock, but you estimated it was around 6 o’ clock when you woke up. That was surprising. Your night was restless, as you were woken several times by the noises coming from next door. When you had been able to fall asleep, your rest was plagued with nightmares.

After you had gotten out of bed, you busied yourself with cleaning up. Your closet had been filled with clothes, which somewhat unsettled you. (Had someone refilled   
it in the night? During dinner? You didn’t care to know).

You spend a full idle hour exploring your bathroom, which was spacious. Several drawers under the sink contained hair products, seemingly unused. Others had hygiene products and one had nothing but sex toys. You closed it quickly, flushing. Good to know.

Your shower was big and extravagant, and you were fascinated by all the soaps and oils, testing out a few. You were shocked by how much it should have cost. Just how rich were they? After exiting, you wrapped yourself in a fluffy white towel. 

Your room was carpeted and draped in a deep red, and the curtains framed an excellent view of carefully tended gardens. You opened your window and breathed in a deep breath. 

_You were far away. You were safe._

You hummed to yourself as you explored, considering your circumstances, which were more than acceptable. They seemed content to let you stay for a while longer, and seemed to have no ill intentions. You were wary, though. 

_If anything goes wrong, I can run again,_ you comforted yourself.

You dressed in a simple white button up and pulled your hair into a bun. You stared at the door for a moment. 

_Of course it wouldn’t be locked._

Your hand stretched out hesitantly.

_Right?_

The handle turned easily and you huffed. Ridiculous.

The long stretch of hallway was nearly empty, save for a blushing sister who hurried out of one of the doors and two ghouls conversing further on. Your steps faltered.

Where to go? You felt awkward and stupid, and you swallowed. They were probably serving breakfast. Would you sit alone? You willed someone you know to be there, and turned towards the stairs.

“Oh! Hi!”

Cumulus was walking towards you, and you let out a silent breath of relief. Who were you? Some nervous teenager? 

_Get your act together._

“Hello!” You smiled and waved cheerfully. 

“You headed down to breakfast?”

“Oh, yes.” You nodded, and Cumulus smiled through her mask.

“Great, me too.”

You both turned to the stairs and began the trek to the…Dining Room? Calling it a Lunch Hall seemed derogatory.

“How’d you sleep?”

You blinked, debating on whether or not to be honest.

“Well, it was…”

You blinked again and then rolled your eyes.

“Honestly not that great.”

Cumulus gave a sympathetic glance.

“I think I understand where you’re coming from. You...ha, you’re right next to Secondo’s room. So is Cirrus.”

You snorted and Cumulus grinned. The two of you descended another flight of stairs.

“I think she’s actually started wearing earbuds,” she said contemplatively, and you laughed.

“God! I know! How am I expected to sleep with the headboard banging against the wall?”

Cumulus laughed.

“You could knock on his door and politely ask him to stop,” she offered, chuckling.

“Like hell.”

Cumulus hummed and nodded.

“Hm. Yeah. He’d probably ask you to join them.”

You snorted.

“I wouldn’t want to interrupt their night. After all, she seemed to be having a good time,” you said conspiratorially. Cumulus giggled.

“Oh, yes, Papa,” Cumulus joked. “Please, please wear the hat while we fuck.”

“Oh, Papa!” you moaned exaggeratedly, throwing your head back as you both turned the corner. Your head smacked against someone, and you grabbed their arm to steady yourself.

“Sorry! Sorry! I really am, oh-“

You stopped short when you realized it was the man from dinner. The third brother. He was grinning down at you, and you shrunk back.

“I…I really am sorry,” you said, noticeably quieter. He only smiled wider, waving his hand at you, and you realised Secondo was standing next to him.

“Oh, it is nothing!” He smiled at you and grabbed your hand.

“We have not formally met, have we? I am Papa Emeritus the Third.” you shook his gloved hand back, a little perplexed at his excitement. Secondo only raised an eyebrow.

“You know,” he said, tapping his finger on his chin, “Normally I am meeting someone before they scream my name, but I see with you that is not the case, eh?”

You winced and began stuttering out another apology, but he chuckled, a nice sound. 

“I joke, Cara. It is nice to meet you.”

“I...It’s nice to meet you too,” you choked out. God, how embarrassing! Cumulus snickered, seemingly reveling in your discomfort.

“Well, we will leave you,” Terzo said, glancing up at his brother before turning his eyes back to you. Again with the white iris. “You two were going to eat, yes?”

You gave a mute nod, face red.

“Yep,” Cumulus piped in. He gestured his hand in the direction of the hall.

“Enjoy,” he said, throwing a wink at you. Secondo gave you a parting, scathing look, and then the two disappeared around the corner. You groaned in embarrassment.

“I didn’t know you could turn that red,” Cumulus said simply. 

“Oh, shut up. I just feel bad.”

The two of you turned into the Dining Room.

\--

Bright chatter filled the room. You were sat at a table with most of the ghouls you knew, with the exclusion of Mountain and Aether.

“Slept in,” Dew shrugged when you asked where they were.

You were nearly through breakfast, cutting through your egg and listening to the ghouls banter. Cirrus sat across from you, leaning over the table to point angrily at Dew while they discussed. You were only half-following the conversation, but it seemed like they were debating over whether or not Sister Imperator had fucked Papa Nihil. Rain sat to your left, picking at his food and listening in as well.

While they talked, you peered once again around the room and marvelled at the strangeness of it all. Popes with face paint. Followers with masks. What was it that Dew had said?

_I was summoned out of hell…_

Your brow furrowed as you stewed internally. 

Out of hell...was he speaking metaphorically? You were raised religiously and had heard stranger terms. Your stomach twisted unpleasantly and you knew it wasn’t because of the food.

_I was summoned out of hell to serve this church._ It seemed like he was referencing repentance, then. It fit most churches’ narrative. Then again, you thought. Had they ever mentioned if they were Christian or Catholic? You debated asking Cirrus, but she seemed engrossed in her argument. You pushed bits of the egg around with your fork.

“In, fact they probably fuck to this day!”

**Repent.**

Cirrus’s face screwed up.

“Ew.”

Your brow furrowed and your fork scraped against the plate. You idly brought it up to your mouth and chewed.

**Hold still! Your blaspheme-**

“What, you don’t like thinking about his saggy old man bits?”

**Hold. Still.**

“I like it about as much as you do!”

A sudden burst of pain broke you out of your reverie and you tasted blood. Your fork dropped with a clatter before you realised you had just bitten your tongue. You glanced around wildly, but the conversation went on uninterrupted.

“And what if I do like it?” Dew teased, waggling his eyebrows and licking his fingers clean more blatantly than was necessary. You stared at your uneaten food.

The effect was immediate. Cumulus made loud, fake retching noises and Cirrus withdrew so far back that her chair scraped the floor.

“That’s my cue to leave,” Cumulus said, standing. You gave a quiet laugh and stood up as well. Dew shrugged and piled more food onto his plate. Cirrus grabbed Cumulus’s hand and called your name. 

“Do you want an extended tour? I know you didn’t have much time for one last night.”

You smiled and nodded, but unease pooled in your gut.

“Sounds great!” 

The two of them led you away through a far door you hadn’t been past yet. A small hallway led behind it.

“Well, round the back here are the kitchens.”

Cirrus gestured towards a swinging door where you could see people moving inside.

“In through there,” she said, scratching under her mask. “Although I don’t think we’re allowed back there unless we’ve got kitchen duties...oh, about that. The Siblings handle most chores and the like…”

She continued on with Cumulus and you followed mutely behind, trying hard to focus. Kitchens, bathrooms, eating hall, entrance hall, nursing room, storage room, and a massive chapel.

“Back here is Imperator’s office.” 

She looked back at you expectantly and you nodded, smiling weakly.

**Hold still.**

She and Cumulus led you up the stairs where even more rooms lay. Dormitories, classrooms, offices, bathrooms. You sucked in a few panicked breaths.

“You’ve already seen the Third Floor,” Cirrus supplied. “And the attic’s mainly empty.”

“Right,” said Cumulus. They both seemed oblivious to your struggle.

“We’re so glad to have you here!” Cirrus chirped. “You’ll become a member soon enough, I can tell. You’ll love it!”

You swallowed and breathed out a yes.

**We’ll all be waiting here for you. Don’t be late.**

“Come talk to us if you want to sign on! We can get you baptized and everything.”

You shut your eyes tightly as the air left your lungs.

**Let’s see if you can last longer this time.**

“Yes...t-hank-k you.” you rushed out, pushing past them to the stairs. Reach your room.

“Are you alright?” Cumulus asked, brows turning upwards.

“Y-yes. Sorry, I’m feeling…” you tripped on the bottom step, then began hurrying up.

“Thank you-feeling sick,” you choked out, and you ran the rest of the way up. 

Your vision was blurred from tears and you panted out heavy breaths that couldn’t quite reach your lungs. A faint ringing filled your ears and you tried your best to walk down the (blissfully empty) hallway to your room. You swallowed, but a lump in your throat blocked you. You couldn’t breathe. You couldn’t-

**You can’t even stand up straight?**

Your breaths came faster and faster, and the tears in your eyes threatened to spill over. Where was the room? Where was the room? They all looked the same. You tripped over your feet slightly and ended up slumped against the wall.

Keep moving. Keep moving.

You couldn’t breathe, and the stone of the wall was cold-

**Cold.**

A low whine was building in your throat, but you didn’t bother trying to keep it in. You cried. Your lungs burned. You were dimly aware of the door opening next to you, and the quiet gasp that followed, but you held still, shudders racking through your body.

“Oh, Lucifer…” a voice said softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oho! Who could that be?
> 
> Right, so, brass tacks...I'll grill you for a second here.  
> Do you want to see Papa I or Swiss/Multi later in the story?   
> Who should Reader bang first?
> 
> And last, but not least,  
> Should Reader be a virgin? I'm not sure how I feel writing about that, but I'm certainly open. Let me know what you prefer; ask and ye shall receive.


End file.
